This disclosure relates to the assembly of a variety of milled wood products using an adhesive device that is activated by electromagnetic waves. The milled wood products include articles of relatively simple construction such as lattice panels, fencing, pallets, skids, crates, decks and docks, bird and dog houses, trellises, gazebos, patio benches and tables and the like.
The assembly of simple milled wood products is typically effected by employing mechanical fastening devices such as hand or power driven nails, staples, tacks and brads. However, these fastening devices have some disadvantages: the milled wood is frequently damaged by splitting if the metal fastener is too large or carelessly driven, and the fastener itself will occasionally "pop" loose in cold weather. In damp climates, of course, the fastener has a tendency to rust, staining the milled wood and, eventually, working free. Nail and staple heads can also protrude and thereby snag and damage cargo or handlers of cargo. If the wood is split, then the quality or integrity of the joint is compromised.
Adhesives have been developed which are safer to work with and produce attachments that are actually more secure than the mechanical fastening methods. However, the use of adhesives alone is not the final answer. Adhesives are messy and difficult to apply to "hidden" or inaccessible places. They can stain the material of the pieces to be assembled, and they are typically over-applied because it is difficult to control the proper amount to be used. Also, if the wood is wet, adhesives should not be used. It is apparent, then, that inventions are waiting to be made which address the placement of adhesive material in a neat, clean, safe and effective manner that can be used beneficially in the in the wood fabrication industry, and especially with regard to the fabrication of simple, low-cost, modest-profit items that must be constructed to specific quality standards as efficiently as possible.
Not surprisingly then, others have experimented with alternatives to traditional fastening devices for attaching construction materials to a work surface.